Regal, St Kilda boarding house: 24/7 security guards stationed at front gates

GUARDS are now stationed around the clock outside a notorious St Kilda rooming house.

GUARDS are now stationed around the clock outside a notorious St Kilda boarding house.

It follows repeated calls from neighbours for security to be beefed up around the Regal in Little Grey St, amid a surge in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Violence and drug-taking in and around the rooming house has become so bad, the state government has been forced to start shutting it down, with residents now being relocated.

In the meantime, Port Phillip Housing Association chief executivie Haleh Homaei confirmed a private security firm had been hired to man the door 24/7.

“The security personnel are there to ensure that our residents have free access to their homes, while restricting random pedestrian traffic in and out of the building,” she said.

“The security of the streets, lanes and private residences in the surrounding area will remain the responsibility of Victorian law enforcement agencies, with whom (the association) has and will continue to work very closely.”

A syringe dumped near the Regal entrance.

The new security measures took effect last Friday evening, with the guards to be paid for out of the $6 million pledged by the State Government for renovations.

Friends of St Kilda Hill convener Darren Robinson told the Leader the weekend had been “noticeably quiet”.

“There were no major incidents, which is great because normally there’s a list as long as my arm,” he said.

Mr Robinson said plans to renovate the Regal and turn it into self-contained units for women over 55 years old were a “win/win” for everyone involved.

“We will welcome anyone who wants to be to part of our community rather than those who have been coming in and destroying it,” he said.

“We’re really happy, really glad (Port Phillip Housing Association) has listened to our concerns and we welcome working with them to create a safer and better St Kilda Hill.”

Mr Robinson said the Leader’s reporting of issues surrounding the embattled boarding house had helped convince authorities urgent action was needed.

“The press has a valuable role to play in making society better, it’s an amazing tool,” he said.

The Leader revealed neighbours of the Little Grey St rooming house were exposed daily to drug use, abuse and violence and had compiled a lengthy dossier of crimes and unsavoury behaviour.

Police cars outside the Regal after a man was stabbed there on March 12.

On March 7, we reported radio star and high-profile St Kilda resident Kate Langbroek had been attacked at her home near the boarding house.

And Housing Minister and Albert Park state Labor MP Martin Foley on March 8 announced the building would be shut and renovated.

Four days later we revealed a man had been stabbed at the Regal.

Authorities are currently working to rehome the remaining tenants of the Regal.

Ms Homaei said 28 people were still living at the site and the association was working with other agencies, including support service providers and the State Government to find them new accommodation.

“Our priority it to protect our residents and ensure their transition is smooth and calm,” she said.